Her email comes a matter of weeks after an Oxford student waived
her right to anonymity following a sexual assault in order to
demonstrate that attacks are not the fault of victims, but that
of the perpetrator.

Ione Wells wrote an open letter to highlight her case, which
started the hashtag #NotGuilty, an online campaign aimed at
encouraging students to speak out about sexual attacks.

Prochaska also wrote in her email that she had heard reports of
“rude and sometimes threatening behavior on a scale
unprecedented in my time as principal.”

President of the JCR Shyamli Badgaiyan said: “Somerville has
always been a very open, accepting community: one that values
tolerance and respect in all aspects of student life.

“Although very rare, these incidents of harassment and
intimidation shocked many of us. I can confidently say that the
vast majority of the student body deems them as absolutely
unacceptable.

“As a JCR, we decided to follow the principal’s lead by
condemning these acts at an extraordinarily well-attended
emergency student meeting and donating to the Oxford Sexual Abuse
and Rape Crisis Centre as a symbol of solidarity and
support.”

Badgaiyan said more needed to be done at a national level to
tackle the issue.

“While it’s extremely sad that these incidents have occurred
here, I believe it is a symptom of a wider, societal problem that
needs to be addressed immediately.

“This itself is the real Somerville culture – not our
immunity from these rare instances, but our ability to stand up
and face them with courage and solidarity.”